Date: Fri, 21 Oct 1994 07:14:05 EDT
From: Jarrod Karau
Subject: Queer Press Release - Houghton, MI
October 13, 1994
Press information written by:
Copper Country Gay & Lesbian Alliance
P.O. Box 501
Houghton, MI 49931
(906) 487-3441
Email: ccgla@mtu.edu
Dear Sir or Madam:
We the Copper Country Gay and Lesbian Alliance would like to make
public an incident that has occurred on the campus of Michigan
Technological University.
On the night of October 10, 1994 we the CCGLA members chalked the
campus sidewalks of Michigan Tech in recognition of National Coming
Out Day. Chalking campus sidewalks is a standard method for student
organizations to advertise activities and events at MTU. After we
had finished chalking the campus, other students chalked anti-gay
slogans on and around the CCGLA chalkings. Some examples of these
anti-gay slogans included: "Die Fags!", "I hate queers!", "Thanks
for AIDS, fags!", "We don't need no ass packers!". We expected these
anti-gay slogans, because of similar incidents that occurred last year.
However, we saw an opportunity to use these hateful slogans to begin
discussion about homophobia on campus.
At about 10:00 a.m. on October 11, 1994 the University grounds crew were
scrubbing the sidewalks with large street cleaners. They only reached
the area around the student union and the library, which is the hub of
campus activity. CCGLA members went to the Dean of Students Office to
find out why the sidewalks were being cleaned, we were directed to
Facilities Management who directed us to campus Public Safety. Public
Safety informed CCGLA members that because of the vulgarity and obscenity
of the anti-gay chalking they had ordered campus to be cleaned. Later
that afternoon we learned that supposedly, the Executive Vice-President
and Provost, Fred Dobney ordered the grounds crew to stop because he
felt they were violating the students' First Amendment rights.
Not willing to let our message be washed away, CCGLA members chalked
the clean areas of campus again on the nigth of October 11. However, on
the morning of October 12 at 6:00 a.m. grounds crew were again
"cleansing" the campus. This time the campus was scrubbed before
7:00 a.m. CCGLA members called the head of grounds crew at 7:00
a.m. and were told that the sidewalks were cleaned because it was
Career Day on campus and they had planned to make campus look "good"
for recruiters. Later in the day, CCGLA members were informed by
a local student reporter that the university was also enforcing a little
know about policy against defacing campus without permission from the
Provost. Knowing this, CCGLA members went to the Provost's office to
gain permission to chalk campus the rest of the month, since it is
Gay and Lesbian History Month. Provost Dobney wasn't aware of his
responsibility to give permission for chalking campus and immediately
turned the "job" over to the Dean Of Students Office. Provost Dobney
also warned that Facilities Management had now planned to clean the
sidewalks on campus every day for the rest of the month! At the same
time, the Provost orderd that a committee be formed to set policy
on the chalking of campus sidewalks. CCGLA was given two of the nine
seats on this committee.
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